Apricot, lemon thyme and pistachio gluten-free tart

Procedimento

Gluten-free pistachio and lemon thyme shortcrust pastry

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine butter, millet flour, potato starch, icing sugar, pistachio flour, salt, dried lemon thyme and vanilla powder and work until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the almond milk and beat on low speed until a dough is formed.
3. Once the pastry has come together, press into a neat flat square and cover in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a micro-perforated baking tray with micro-perforated silicone mat. Grease generously with butter a fluted tart pan with removable bottom (Ø 20 cm x h 5 cm) and place it onto the prepared baking tray.
5. Roll the chilled shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to approximately 2-3 mm in thickness, adding flour when needed so it doesn't stick.
6. Cut the pastry into a circle large enough to line the tart pan, allowing for overhang. Line the tart pan with the pastry and trim the excess. 
7. Freeze the tart for at least 1h. It is not necessary to prick the pastry base with a fork before baking.
8. Line the frozen and unbaked tart with heatproof plastic wrap and fill it firmly to the top with uncooked rice (any type of legume or cereal also works well). Bring the sides of the wrap together at the top like a parcel, so it is easy to remove.
9. Put the tart in the oven, reduce the temperature at 150°C and pre-baked for about 20 minutes. Remove the rice and bake for a further 15 minutes at 160°C to finish baking.
10. Remove the tart from the oven and dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) while it is still hot. This prevents the pastry to get soggy. Allow to cool down completely before demoulding. Do not worry if you don't have the cocoa butter powder, because the baked and cooled tart will be covered with a thin chocolate layer (see below). 
11. Melt some Dulcey 32% chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Brush the melted chocolate all over the base and the sides of the baked pastry shell, into a thin layer. The chocolate makes a barrier which prevents the shortcrust pastry from getting moist, as making the tart even crispier and tastier. Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature or in the fridge, eventually.

Gluten-free pistachio praliné, lemon thyme and apricot sponge biscuit

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, static mode. Grease a 32,5 x 32,5 cm silicone swiss roll mat (Silikomart tapis roulade) and place it onto a baking tray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment add pistachio praliné, eggs and salt and beat on medium-high speed till obtaining a creamy, homogeneous and almost thick batter.
3. Add pistachio oil, slowly and little at a time. Once it is incorporated, add almond milk, slowly and little at a time. Beat on medium speed until obtain a creamy, homogeneous and this time more fluid batter.
4. Add powder ingredients (millet flour, cornstarch, baking powder, dried lemon thyme and natural food coloring), previously mixed and beat on low speed, just to combine everything.
5. Pour the batter into the greased silicone mat and spread it out evenly with a palette knife, so that it is level with the top of the mat (I mean, 1 cm high, as the height of the silicone mat). The batter will cover a little less than a half the silicone mat.
6. Scatter the fresh and chopped apricots on top of the batter and gently press them slightly into the batter. Scatter the finely chopped pistachios all over the batter and bake for 12 minutes, until the sponge biscuit is puffed, lightly golden in color, soft and slightly springy to touch.
7. Remove from the oven and cover immediately with clingfilm to keep the sponge biscuit from drying out and to preserve the moisture. Allow to cool completely before cutting a circle with a Ø 16 cake ring. I suggest to put the sponge biscuit in the freezer for 1h before cutting, so it is easier and better to cut.
8. Place the sponge biscuit circle in the tart. 

Almond crème anglaise 

1. Place egg yolks and cane sugar in a bowl and whisk everything together using a fine whisk. In a saucepan brings to simmer the almond milk with the heavy cream. Add the hot liquids to the yolks in 3 times while whisking constantly with a fine whisk. Place everything back into the saucepan and reheat to 82-85°C, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula over low to medium heat.
   A method for determining the doneness is to look closely just as the custard's consistency. When you start stirring, you will see lots of tiny bubbles on the surface of the crème anglaise. But as soon as it is done, these bubbles disappear and they are replaced with ticker and silky waves. The crème anglaise is also done when you can make a line on the rubber spatula with your finger.  
2. Filter the crème anglaise and weigh 225 g. Make the crémeux (recipe below).

Apricot and Dulcey 32% blond chocolate crémeux

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water. 
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Heat together the apricot puree with honey in the microwave, without boiling.
3. Add the soaked gelatin sheets to the 225 g of crème anglaise and stir with a rubber spatula until it is dissolved. Add the warm apricot puree and honey to the crème anglaise and stir.
4. Add the apricot crème anglaise to the melted chocolate in 3 times, while stirring with the spatula at each addition of liquid, in order to obtain a smooth, fluid and homogeneous crémeux. 
5. Transfer the crémeux into a mixing glass and mix with an hand blender to stabilize the emulsion and to make a smoother and shinier crémeux.
6. Fill the tart with the crémeux and chill overnight.

Assembly and decoration

Garnish the tart with fresh and thin apricot slices (previously brushed with a little of cold neutral gelatin to shine), some fresh yellow raspberries and edible flowers.